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Books Reviews

A Right Cozy Historical Crime

I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for A Right Cozy Historical Crime. This is an anthology of short stories compiled by Wendy H. Jones including cosy mysteries written by contributing authors:

The tour is organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines.

About the Book

Step into the comforting fog of time with A Right Cozy Historical Crime, a deliciously diverse anthology of cozy mysteries that span centuries and continents. From ancient alleys to a Victorian medical school, American towns to Scottish glens, these tales take you on a gentle stroll through history – where murder hides behind lace curtains and secrets linger in candlelit corridors. Perfect for fans of clever sleuths, rich historical detail, and mysteries solved with more brains than knowledge.

Links: Paperback / Kindle

About Wendy H. Jones

International Award Winning Author Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring DI Shona McKenzie are set.Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. Killer’s Countdown was her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Killer’s Crew won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The seventh book in the series. Killer’s Curse will be released early august 2020. The Dagger’s Curse, the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers Choice Award Book of the Year. Turning to humorous crime the Cass Claymore Investigates series was born. She is also a highly successful marketer and is currently in the process of rereleasing her completely updated marketing book Marketing Matters. This will be part of the Writing Matters Series following the release of Motivation Matters. She is also the author of the Bertie the Buffalo picture book and associated soft toy and colouring book. Wendy is delighted to be one of the authors in two anthologies aimed at empowering women – The Power of Why, and Women Win Against All Odds. She is proud to be the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and is the host of The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, a writing and marketing coach. and CEO of Writing Matters online writing school, Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy.

My Review

These stories cover a wide range of historical periods and various topics and locations, though Scotland is well-represented. All are well-written and well-crafted. I enjoyed every one of them.

If I were to choose one over the rest, it would be the story by Wendy H. Jones: Cadavers and Conspiracies. That’s because it made me laugh and I need humour, especially in these trying times.

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Books Reviews

A Right Cozy Christmas Crime Blog Tour

I was a little wary of being part of a tour for Christmas stories, but I needn’t have been. See my review below.

But first, what’s in the book?

Blurb

Step into a world where twinkling lights and holiday cheer are accompanied by Christmas puddings and a dash of intrigue. A Right Cozy Christmas Crime brings together thirteen festive mysteries where annual traditions are intertwined with shadowy secrets. From a historic Scottish Castle hiding a chilling truth, to the bustling streets of Lagos filled with more than just Christmas shoppers, each tale sparkles with holiday warmth while unravelling a deliciously puzzling mystery. It’s time to put your feet up, sip hot cocoa and join our detectives as they ensure justice is served. Perfect for lovers of cozy mysteries with a holiday twist.

This anthology, which has been compiled by Wendy H. Jones, can be bought here.

A Right Cozy Christmas Crime features 13 short stories written by:

My Review

I’ve never reviewed a Christmas book before. I also haven’t read many. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrice Potter come to mind. But still I worried there might be things I didn’t understand.

I needn’t have worried. The stories were mostly about the run-up to Christmas, about getting the crime wrapped up and put away before the festivities were due to begin.

The book contains plenty of variety in various aspects: location, timeline, characters and plot. I enjoyed all the stories, some more than others.

#ARIGHTCOZYCHRISTMASCRIME

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Books Reviews The writing process

Creativity Matters

This post is part of the blog tour organised by Reading Between the Lines.
It’s a post I’m pleased to have been invited to write, and one that I now tackle with enthusiasm and, well… embarrassment, but only a little.
Read on…

The blog tour is for the book Creativity Matters: Find your Passion for Writing, which is compiled by Wendy H. Jones.

The Blurb

Have you always thought about writing a book but don’t know where to start? Are you an experienced author and want to spread your wings? Are you looking for inspiration for every step in your writing journey? This is a book for everyone who wants to write, whether history or contemporary, science fiction or humour, local fiction or set in a made-up world, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, there’s something here for you. Join thirteen authors as they share their passion for why you should write in their genre and find your own passion as you read.

It’s time for you to spread your wings, follow your dreams and find your passion for writing.

My Review

Here begins the embarrassing part.

You see, when I was asked to take part, I was away, hiking in the Bernese Oberland and other parts of Switzerland. I know, I haven’t blogged about that yet, but I plan to. I digress.

Since returning home, my time hasn’t been my own. I’ve had to attend to family matters and in particular to culinary matters, and the result is that I didn’t spend much time on creative matters and I
Didn’t finish reading the book.

However, I did warn the organiser in advance, and I’ve read enough of the book to have something to say about it, which is this:

I love it and am looking forward to reading the rest. All the participating authors are clearly passionate about writing in their particuar genres, and their enthusiasm is catching. Each one answers the question ‘why write?’ rather than ‘how to write?’ and yet the ‘how to’ question is answered in a ‘show don’t tell’ sort of way – by example.

The chapter on writing drama particularly appealed to me because it was written as a drama. I’ve never even considered writing drama before, but this might even get me started. All I need is time!

If you have time and want to write in any genre or to switch genres, this book will spur you on.

Links

Amazon buy link for Creativity Matters
Website
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Twitter
Amazon Author Page
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